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Effects of common scab ( Streptomyces scabies ) on potatoes
Author(s) -
ADAMS M. J.,
HIDE G. A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1981.tb00754.x
Subject(s) - biology , common scab , sprouting , sowing , crop , horticulture , agronomy , cover crop , streptomyces , genetics , bacteria
SUMMARY Seed tubers with severe (71% cover) or slight (12% cover) common scab selected from a badly infected crop of cv. Maris Piper were boxed for sprouting in November and February and planted in field experiments at Woburn and Rothamsted in 1980. The severely scabbed seed lost more moisture than the slightly scabbed seed during sprouting and sprouted from a larger number of eyes but total stem numbers were greater on plants from the slightly scabbed seed. Plant growth during the first 6–9 wk after planting was less from the severely scabbed than from the slightly scabbed seed. This was shown by records of ground cover, leaf area index, fresh weights of stems and leaves, total tuber yield (18% lower at 9 wk) and tuber number. Subsequently these differences became non‐significant. Seed with slight scab boxed in November produced smaller numbers of progeny tubers than that boxed in February but there were no other consistent effects of boxing date on growth and yield. Scab incidence on progeny tubers was very slight and unrelated to the severity of disease on the seed tubers. It seems unlikely that severe scab infection of seed tubers would significantly decrease tuber yields except perhaps in early potato production.